Aerospace and Transportation Systems

In 2019, the Aerospace and Transportation Systems division achieved record revenues of € 1,490 million. This represents an increase of € 110 million, or 8.0 %, compared to the previous year.

Development compared to previous year*

Turnover in € m
from 1,380
( + 8.0% ) 0
Investments in € m
from 43
( - 18.6% ) 0
Employees
from 5,823
( + 6.5% ) 0

Turnover by sales regions

  1. European Union
    59.4%
  2. North America
    19.4%
  3. Central and South America
    3.7%
  4. Non-EU countries
    4.3%
  5. Asia and Oceania
    11.9%
  6. Africa, Near and Middle East
    1.3%

Researching the next generation of aircraft

The international aviation industry continued to grow at a reasonable rate. While demand for commercial aircraft developed positively, other aviation markets were experiencing challenges and stagnated.

The division reported favourable growth in the reporting year, which was partly driven by the increasing build rate of the Airbus A320neo. Additionally, several aircraft programmes with Liebherr systems on board achieved entry into service: Embraer’s C-390 Millennium and E195-E2 as well as Bombardier’s Global 7500. New contracts were awarded as well, such as the supply of pneumatic valves for a new jet engine and the supply of an environmental control system for a new civil helicopter model.

Aerospace research was focused particularly on the next generation of aircraft. The division continued its work on electrical systems and power electronics which will reduce CO2 emissions and create more efficient aircraft overall. Furthermore, Liebherr was selected by a major automotive manufacturer based in China to develop an electric turbo compressor and its power electronics for fuel-cell-powered cars. Knowledge from decades of research with fuel cell technology in aeronautics will be applied in this diversification.

In 2019, Liebherr continued to apply existing aerospace knowledge in other areas – such as the rail or automotive industry.

Reinventing cold-chain logistics

The railway market continued on its growth course. Liebherr and a German manufacturer of commercial vehicles jointly developed a new technology for refrigerated transport. CELSINEO is a modular cooling system for trailers, which achieves the highest possible availability while guaranteeing cost-effectiveness and straightforward servicing.

Furthermore, the division used its hydraulics knowledge from flight controls and applied it to rail vehicles. Hydraulic bogie steering devices and bogie coupling systems for trains minimise lateral forces and therefore the wear on tracks and wheels. In 2019, several train manufacturers selected these new systems for their locomotives.

In the year under review, the division invested mainly in new buildings and manufacturing capabilities in Germany, France, Singapore and Bulgaria.